The Arizona sentinel., 1887-06-25
(CoMMUNICATED.) THE PRISON.
A few items of interest regarding the
 Territ5r al Penitentiary.


 If the intelligence, energy and pro- gressiveness of a people are to Le gauged by the extent and character of public, charitable, educational and re- formatory institutions, then Arizona outstrips every other Territory and takes high rank among many of the old and favored stats of the Union. She can boast of magnificent Insane Asylum, Normal School, a Telrito- rial University, now in course of cree tion, and Penitentiary, which in or, der and management is the equal of any similar institution on the Pacific Coast, :. brief description of which may not prove uninteresting to the newspaper and general reader. The Territorial legislature of 1874 passed an act authorizing the issuance oi bonds in the sum of S25,000 for the construction of Territorial Prison. The first Prison Commissioners ar- pointed hy the Governor, A. K. T. Stafford then Leins Chief Executive, were John H. Archibald, S. k. De. Long and E. \. Fish, all of Pima Co. The act provided that the site or To. cation of the Prison should be in Yu ma county, at or near the town of Yuma. By May lst 1875 all this was complied with and work was i'm mediately begun. On July lst 1876, five prisoners, viz: Hall, Cannon, Hoo yer, Ryan, Bachman, Bundy and Baldwin, were admitted within the walls, and the institution fairly inau- gurated under the superintendency of w. A. Wenenger. From that time to the present under the various admin istrations 1t has grown to almost a model prison. It is Safe to assert that there is no reformatory institu tion on the coast where the prisoners are b.tter treated, or, considering their lot, more contented, than gre he Yuma Penitentiary. The present officers are P. R. Brady, G. II. Stevens and l. Lyons, Commissioners, with the first named gentleman as Chairman of the Boarl, Thomas Gates, Supt., Joseph Cottral, Warden and Richard Rule, Secy. of the Board. There arr Tt present l43 prisoners serving out 5heir various terms of imprisonment having been discharged during the present month. Everything in the nature of supplies possible to be fur nished by contract is q n in that manner, which in connection with the strict economy exercised by Supt. Gates, has given his administration z record of several thousands of dollars less in expenditures than any former Supt., while the average number Of prisoners h4. been uniformly larger. At present the mn are employed about as follows: shoe shop, :; tailor shop, s; blacksmith, l3; carpenter shop, 2; paint shop, ?; graders, 40: kitchen, :; dining room, 5; Bakery, 3; wash room, s; on the sick list, l2; miscellaneous, 37. In a short time, possibly during the coming quarter, the erection of a number of new cells will he commenced. The walls will be of granite instt a of adobe, and the cells of the finest iron and t. As fine wagons light and heavy, drays and buggies are made at the prison as can be turned out of any wagon mannfactory on the coast. The same need of praise may he given to other work turned out of the various shop The m' st perfect order prevails in every department, and considering he Various characters and nationaliti. $ confined withiH the walls the harmony existing is remarkable. This is more clearly proven by the fact that dull1g the last eighteen months there has been no "break" nor any attempt at one. TT e executive officers treat the prisoners with dignity and justice, with honesty and fairness. 1hh rules and regulations are stri fly enforced, and as a consequence peace and har- mony prevail alike a credit and honor to the administration and the Terri tory.